Akai Professional Intros New MPC Studio Music Production Controller

Akai Professional today introduced MPC Studio,  a new music production controller + DAW combo for Mac & Windows.

MPC Studio Controller

MPC Studio features 16 full-size pressure and velocity sensitive RGB-backlit pads with aftertouch. These pads can be used to play and record patterns, notes, chords, and more, with an accurate visual display of velocity and pad groupings.

In addition, an assignable Touch Strip lets you add modulation or pitch bend to a keyboard synth, control Note Repeat for hi-hats, snares, effects and more.

A full color LCD lets you scroll through track names, plugin instrument presets, browse categories, monitor parameter values when dialing in effects, or trim and chop samples.

MPC2 Software

The MPC2 Desktop Software DAW for Mac and PC is at the core of this MPC Studio system. It offers audio sampling, MPC groove, swing and quantize, MIDI sequencing and arranging. MPC2 software can also be run as a VST Plugin in any host DAW.

Also included is a collection of MPC plugin instruments, offering 8 built-in plugin instrument engines, with a wide selection of inspiring sound and textures. The AIR Hype Plugin Synthesizer features over 1500 world-class presets including ambient pianos, plucked strings, atmospheric pads, stabbing synths and more. Alongside Hype are a group of hardware emulations; AIR Mellotron, Solina, and WayOutWare’s Odyssey.

You can record, edit, and mix vocals with the AIR Vocal Insert Effects Plugin Suite. The collection features Vocal Tuner, a high-powered automatic vocal pitch correction tool, Vocal Doubler, a sound layering and doubling generator, and Vocal Harmonizer, a 4-part harmony processor. In addition, you cann add and create drops, builds, and transitions with a wide selection of insert effects plugins like AIR Half Speed, Stutter, Granulator and more.

MPC Studio Features:

  • Complete MPC system with hardware and MPC2 Desktop Software DAW for Mac and PC
  • 16 velocity sensitive RGB MPC pads with aftertouch
  • Assignable Touch Strip for dynamic expression
  • Color LCD Screen for vibrant feedback
  • Iconic MPC workflows including Quantize, Note Repeat, and 16 Levels
  • MPC 2 Software with Vocal Effects Suite, MPC Plugin Instruments, and 100+ plugins from AIR Music Tech

Here’s a series of in-depth intro videos:

Pricing and Availability

The MPC Studio music production system is available now for $269.

19 thoughts on “Akai Professional Intros New MPC Studio Music Production Controller

  1. “16 full-size pressure and velocity sensitive RGB-backlit pads with aftertouch.”

    16 full-size velocity sensitive RGB-backlit pads with aftertouch and aftertouch, did we mention it has aftertouch? ^^

    1. Air pressure. Just wiggle the controller around for extra modulation. Or go up a mountain for a completely different sound!

      Psychological pressure. Tracks composed under a deadline will come out sounding like shit.

      Peer pressure. Gather other controllers around it, and it will gain new features.

  2. Akai has a new MPC Studio, but still no official support for Big Sur when Monterey will be released soon. Zero support for Apple Silicon – which is only beginning to take over the entire Mac lineup. I usually stay a release behind to give slow developers time to catch up, but it’s about to be two releases behind. Is it laziness, arrogance, or stupidity that leaves developers incapable of keeping up after a year of Big Sur?

    Why can’t developers keep up? They can do amazing things with music apps, but an OS upgrade leaves them lost? I’m looking at you Pace/iLok. It’s getting embarrassing to see how many larger developers can’t figure out how to support Mac users, while some smaller developers like U-He and TAL care enough about their customers to make sure their stuff works on the latest hardware and software. Lazy and outdated developers don’t get my money.

    Don’t blame Apple. They may be jerks, but a year is plenty of time to catch up. Apple won’t go back, and shouldn’t have to change due to lazy developers who can’t figure out a new OS release after six months, especially when the beta period is several months before the release, let alone after a year. They should just go Windows only if MacOS is too much for them to comprehend.

    1. Everything Apple do is designed to serve themselves. Their updates break compatibility. They won’t fix bugs that security updates create in previous versions. They are very slow to respond to developer requests. Their Xcode documentation is not good. Yes, Apple are jerks, and they tend to attract jerk users.

      1. Umm. “Apple are jerks and attract jerk users” is complete rubbish. The vast majority of professional musicians and tour techs I know use Macs, and they’re fantastic people.

    2. MPC 2.10 release notes: “MPC 2.10 Desktop Software is now compatible with macOS Big Sur. It runs on macs with
      Apple Silicon under Rosetta 2.
      MPC X, MPC Live, MPC Live MKII, MPC One and MPC Studio Black are also now
      compatible with macOS Big Sur and M1 Macs”

  3. Drumsgasm!!!

    Will wait for Black Friday and with luck I can get one a little bit more cheaper (still under the weather due t,he pandemic), but wow!…..

  4. hmmm – ive never been an MPC person, but i always thought one of the biggest appeals was the sound/timing/tightness of the hardware machine itself… which i doubt is the same in the software version

    but yeh i dont use it so im just speculating

  5. I have the MPC2 Software, which also runs like Reason as a plug-in in other DAWS. It offers quite a lot by itself, making this package seem like quite a deal for someone starting out and MPC curious. On the downside, it does use iLock and requires getting support from Akai to reset the license if your computer dies.

  6. I think this will be a good choice for the producer that doesn’t need a standalone/mobile solution and wants MPC power for about about 1/3 of the price of the MPC One. I love my MPCs (and Force) because they ARE separate from the computer, but then can relate to it in a multitude of ways when I need to integrate them.

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